Submitted by Stephanie Harmon, Watershed Specialist
On March 22, 2022, an unseasonably pleasant day with hints of spring, nearly one hundred energetic middle and high school Envirothon students from Lebanon County school districts, including ELCO, Northern Lebanon, and Palmyra, got their hands dirty at an Envirothon Soils Training held at the Lebanon Expo Center.
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Bucks County Conservation District (BCCD) recently created a brochure on rain garden maintenance. The district included information in English and Spanish. The brochure is part of their Residential Stormwater Management project that includes stormwater workshops. The project is funded through PACD’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant Program.
BCCD Erosion and Sediment Control Technician Chris Cook decided to include both languages in one brochure to make it more convenient to carry around in the field and hand out while he is performing fieldwork. “My thinking was that if one version covered both languages, it would allow the material to be passed around and referenced by landscape crew members with varied English/Spanish reading, writing, and comprehension skills,” said Cook.
The brochure can be viewed here.
Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Attendees listen to a presentation during the 2022 Farmer Winter Meeting. Photo provided by SCCD.
In Selinsgrove, the Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) held its annual Farmers Winter Meeting on February 18, 2022. Seventy-five people attended the event. Topics included nutrient stewardship and management and the importance of farm recordkeeping.
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Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“Working with the Conservation District” workshop in Berks County. Photo provided by Berks County Conservation District.
On Tuesday, April 5, 2022, the Berks County Conservation District hosted a “Working with the Conservation District” workshop for contractors working in Berks County. The workshop was held in the auditorium of the Berks County Agriculture Center. A dozen members of the regulated public attended.
The five members of the district’s Urban Team made presentations on the general regulatory requirements of Chapter 102; Compliance vs. Enforcement, Inspection Procedures; Proper BMP Installation and Maintenance; Post Construction Stormwater Management (PCSM) and Notice of Termination (NOT); and Chapter 105 – Concerns. These presentations showed typical site construction problems that can easily be avoided. These problems prevent construction compliance and add costs to projects, delay construction, and can result in the termination of permits. All presentations were received well by the attendees, who appreciated the guidance.
Master Watershed Steward Christine Boyle presents on Stormwater and Agriculture as part of the rain barrel presentation at the first Women in Ag workshop in Luzerne County. Photo provided by Luzerne Conservation District.
Luzerne Conservation District held a Women in Agriculture workshop on National Ag Day, March 22, 2022. The event had twenty-two in attendance. The workshop was a success, with great speakers providing education on stormwater and stormwater best management practices and rain barrel construction.
Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Photo provided by Cumberland County Conservation District.
On March 24, 2022, the Cumberland County Conservation District held an Erosion and Sedimentation/National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Workshop in Carlisle, PA. Sixty-five engineers attended the training.
Topics covered included an updated district fee schedule, PAG-01, online resources, e-permitting, and Managed Release Concept stormwater design.
The Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) held two manure management plan (MMP) writing workshops for farmers, farm owners, livestock, and poultry operators to write their own MMPs. The sessions were held at the SCCD office on March 24, 2022. Nine farmers attended.
Barry Spangler, SCCD Agricultural Conservation Technician, gave an overview of the Manure Management Manual and other agricultural, environmental regulations. He gave a step-by-step process of how farmers can write their MMPs that meet these new regulations, including a demonstration of PAOneStop. Spangler also provided information about the state agricultural erosion and sedimentation plan requirements for owned and rented lands.
Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Photo provided by Dauphin County Conservation District.
Dauphin County Conservation District planted a total of 5.7-acres of multi-functional riparian forest buffers at four sites in Dauphin County. Together the projects cost $17,651.56 and were paid for through PACD’s multi-functional buffer sub-grant program. https://pacd.org/?page_id=17536
Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.
The Wayne Conservation District held a workshop through PACD’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Mini-grant Program for Conservation Districts. The district educated STEM teachers on soil health and nonpoint source pollution. The event was held at a local farm that utilizes a lot of the practices that were taught. A rainfall simulator was also used to demonstrate how soil reacts to rainfall.
Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
On December 15, 2021, the 10th Annual Corn Planter Clinic was held at the Shippensburg Auction Center. The clinic is the largest agricultural education event in Cumberland County. Staff from the Cumberland County Conservation District worked with Cumberland Planter in organizing this event. The event is beneficial for the farming community to come together to share ideas and gather valuable information from knowledgeable speakers. A total of 160 people attended.
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